In elevator systems, elevator roping is used for suspending and/or moving an elevator car, a counterweight or both. In modern elevators lightweight suspension roping is used, where the elevator roping comprises plural belt-type ropes where the width of the rope is larger than its thickness in a transverse direction of the rope. The rope comprises a load-bearing part made of composite materials, which composite materials comprise non-metallic reinforcing fibers in polymer matrix material. The structure and choice of material make it possible to achieve lightweight elevator ropes having a thin construction in the bending direction, a good tensile stiffness and tensile strength in longitudinal direction. In addition, the rope structure remains substantially unchanged at bending, which contributes towards a long service life.
Several arrangements have been presented to provide tools for attaching elevator ropes with the elevator units. With non-metallic elevator ropes, particularly with elevator ropes made of fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials, it is challenging to make mechanical attachment with the elevator unit without causing damage in the elevator rope.
Components of rope terminal assembly are traditionally constructed from isotropic materials, such as steel, with several parts welded together. Using metallic wedge elements and wedge housing with welded joints have been successfully used in rope terminal assembly to lock the elevator rope in its rope terminal. The drawback of this kind of elevator rope terminal assembly is that it requires a complicated rope terminal wedge housing with several elements joined together by welding. The complicated geometry of the wedge housing with welded joints is not optimal from strength of material point of view.
Furthermore, the elevator roping typically comprises plural ropes, which makes the number of rope terminals needed numerous and hence heavy weight and the production of large amounts of complicated rope terminal products, especially on assembly lines costly. It would be advantageous if the elevator rope terminal could be formed as simple as possible with seamless lightweight wedge housing without multiple elements welded together. There is thus a growing need for cost effective and reliable elevator rope terminal assembly comprising also a connection to the rope condition monitoring means of an elevator.